Inseparable Souls
by TheBrokenBottle
Summary: Weiss and Ruby are more than inseparable; Ruby is Weiss' entity, and thus bound to her soul, but only Weiss can see her. She is extremely protective and obsessive. But when times are trying and people conspire against them even the strongest bonds start to weaken. The one who is always with you is your romance, and your biggest bother. References of Beyond: Two Souls
1. (Prologue) A Serious Case

**Hey guys, TheBrokenBottle here with a brand-new story.**

**Firstly, thanks for clicking on this story; it means a lot to me. I'll tell you why in a bit, but first I'd really appreciate it if you would leave some feedback! Any tips, ideas or comments are more than welcome!**

**This story has a deeper meaning for me than most, and I hope you can understand that.**

**Three months ago, my little niece, Delilah, died in a car accident. I was, and still am, utterly heartbroken, since she meant so much to me. It's a really difficult subject for me to talk about, so please give it a bit of leeway due to emotions running wild. This story is created to honour her, because she also had an imaginary friend to help her in hard times, and I was the only one in the family to know it. November the 8th, the day the first chapter is posted, would have been her birthday, that's why the first chapter, (which is an introduction or how I call it 'Prologue') is written in a bit of an hurry. I really loved my niece and I hope she'd be proud of me writing this story and for all the feedback it gets.**

**This story contains references and the main idea from Quantum's game Beyond: 2 Souls. I do not own or have anything to do with the game, but this story is a tribute to my niece, who isn't with us anymore. Also, I do now own RWBY or its characters.**

**(Pretty emotional for me now), So thank you all. Leave your feedback and see you next chapter!**

**Read, Review, favourite and follow, and enjoy! **

**-TheBrokenBottle out.**

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><p><strong>Tuesday, November 6th 2014, 8:00PM, Vale Paranormal Activity Center<strong>

The interview room of the Police station was plain enough, but to Weiss everything about it was intimidating. A single light hung down from the ceiling, casting long, dark shadows throughout the room, and the young girl hugged her knees to her chest as she sat on a cold wooden chair that was pushed up against the wall. Two other chairs were placed in the room, and Weiss could see where a table would have been that for some reason had been removed. Goosebumps stood up on her pale skin, and she stared at the only door to the room, peeking over her knees.

Weiss knew why she was here, of course. It was all because of Ruby Delilah Rose, her entity. Ruby, the girl nobody else could see or hear. Ruby, who had been watching Weiss for as long as she could remember. Ruby was Weiss' best friend, because she followed her everywhere all the time, and they were connected by their souls. Ruby was a part of Weiss that was always looking out for her, that caught things she dropped, that tucked her in at night. Even sometimes her guardian, because Ruby protected Weiss if someone tried to cause her harm.

Earlier today, Weiss had been walking through a store, and someone shoved her out of the way, causing Ruby to get mad and shove them back _hard_. The person had been ok, but Weiss was in a lot of trouble for the whole event, a state of affairs she found distinctly unfair.

Weiss jumped in surprise when the door opened suddenly, and two women walked in, one with a magnificent mane of blonde hair, the other with shorter black hair with two velvety ears poking through. Both were wearing casual clothes and both had gentle smiles on their faces. Almost as one they grabbed the other two chairs in the room and brought them round to face where Weiss was sitting.

"Stop! Ruby's sitting there!" Weiss cried out as the blonde-haired woman was about to sit down.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" She replied, confused yet kind.

"Ruby's sitting there," Weiss repeated, "She gets really angry when people sit on her chair."

The two women exchanged a look and a shrug before the dark-haired one left to go and get another chair, her colleague sitting in the one she'd just vacated.

"So. Weiss. I'm Dr. Yang Xiao Long and that was Dr. Blake Belladonna who just went out of the room."

Weiss tilted her head sideways in thought before responding, "No, I don't think so."

"Oh? And why's that?" Yang responded, an amused look on her face.

"Only men can be doctors." Weiss stated matter-of-factly, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.

At this, Dr. Yang laughed loudly, something that alarmed the young Weiss, and she replied through her laughter, "Haha, you wouldn't _believe _the number of people who try and tell me that. Usually it's male doctors. And do you know what?" Yang asked, leaning closer to the scared eight-year old.

"N-no?" Weiss asked hesitantly.

"I'm usually better than them." Yang whispered almost sadly, though the smile on her face told a different story.

At this Weiss sulked a little, expecting something more, well, whisper-worthy, but before long the infectious grin on Dr. Yang's face had found its way onto her features as well.

"Sorry I took so long, it's just tha- Yang! Stop terrorising the poor girl!"

The woman that Weiss now knew to be Dr. Blake had entered the room carrying another chair similar to the three already there, and she half-seriously reprimanded her colleague.

"It's fine, Blake, we're just getting to know each other. Weiss," she began, turning to the white-haired girl, "this is Dr. Blake."

Blake set her chair down near Yang's and approached Weiss, crouching down in front of her and extending a hand.

"Hi, Weiss, I'm Blake. Yang and I are doctors working at the big hospital down the road and we've been asked to come and talk to you today. Is that ok with you?"

Weiss nodded, though her eyes were fixed on the soft-looking cat ears poking out of Dr. Blake's head. They twitched ever so slightly with changes in the room, and Weiss really wanted to reach out and touch them, to stroke and feel how silken they'd be between her fingers.

_Hey, Weiss? Can I touch Blake's ears?_

_Of course not Ruby, it's rude!_

_Please? Can you at least ask?_

Weiss didn't respond to Ruby, but she asked Blake anyway.

"Blake, can Ruby touch your cat ears?"

"Only if she's gentle." Blake replied kindly, though by the look of things she didn't expect Ruby to actually reach out and stroke them, the faunus going rigid as soon as Ruby touched them

"Blake?" a concerned Yang asked, "Are you ok?"

"I-I'm fine Yang," she began, slightly shaken, "Weiss, please can you ask Ruby to stop?"

"Sure!" The young girl said enthusiastically.

_Ruby, leave Blake alone._

_Weiss, you have to try this! They're so soft!_

_No, Ruby!_

_Fine…_

"Weiss, I think Ruby's what we call an entity. She's a part of you, and only you," Blake said cautiously, "The two of you are as one. Now this is nothing to be alarmed at and is perfectly normal, but because of it some things are going to be a little bit different."

"I know that, silly." Weiss scolded, and Yang had to stifle a laugh, "Ruby's always been there for me."

"I see. Weiss, was it Ruby who pushed that man at the store earlier today?"

"Yes." She replied, hanging her head in embarrassment.

"Weiss, the few other people like you can talk to their entities out loud. Do you mind doing that with Ruby for a bit?"

"Okay…" Weiss responded, uncertain. She almost never talked to Ruby out loud, because nobody believed her when she did. They called her mean names and laughed at her, but Weiss knew she was right. Ruby was right there by her all the time, and she always knew what to say to make Weiss feel better.

"So Weiss. How long have you been aware of Ruby?"

"Ever since I was little. She's been looking out for me since then."

After listening to the answer, Blake wrote down something on a clipboard before looking at Weiss and asking again, "Has she ever shown herself to be...angry? Does she ever lash out at you?"

"No, she always keeps me safe. She gets angry at other people though."

_Only when they deserve it._ Ruby interjected.

"That's true." Weiss responded honestly, and Blake and Yang shared a look.

"Did Ruby just say something?" Yang ventured.

"Yep! She likes to talk."

The two doctors looked at each other and Yang leaned over to whisper something in her colleague's ear. Blake nodded, and Yang got up and left the room, giving Weiss a wave before she did.

Blake spoke up as soon as Yang had left, "Now, Weiss, we need to find out more about Ruby, if that's okay with you."

"Erm, ok?"

_Weiss, what are they going to do?_

"I don't know, Ruby, I don't know." Weiss scolded, though in truth she was just as nervous as her entity.

"Weiss, are you ok?" Blake asked, concerned, and when Weiss shook her head Blake moved over and gave the young girl a comforting hug. "It's ok, Weiss, it's ok. We just need to take some blood and then you'll be fine. There are a lot of people here to make sure you're safe, but first we need to take that blood sample."

At this point, Yang opened the door and walked back in, a plastic tray held in one hand. Weiss knew that in the box would be the syringe that they'd use, and all of a sudden she became terrified. She clung to Blake's clothing as though she was scared she'd be whisked away any second, and the faunus must've sensed this because she deepened her hug.

_Weiss, I won't let them hurt you!_

_Ruby help me!_

"Sweetie, don't worry, it's ok! Weiss, it'll feel like a small scratch and then it's over." Yang tried to reassure her, but by now Weiss wasn't even listening to what she said, instead squeezing her eyes tightly shut. As she did this, a weird sound caught Weiss' attention and she noticed Ruby standing between her and Yang.

_Don't you dare touch Weiss!_

So saying she leapt forward and snatched the syringe from Yang's hand and hurled it hard against the wall, shattering it into several pieces that carpeted the floor in miniscule shards of glass and left an imposing silence hanging over the room.

Weiss took in the scene for all of about one second before a sudden wave nausea washed over her and she tumbled to the floor, her vision fading rapidly and her mind swimming.

"Weiss!"

"Weiss!"

_Weiss!_

Three people called out her name simultaneously as she dropped out of consciousness, and the strong arms of Ruby lifted her from the ground, leaving Blake and Yang stunned at seeing Weiss seemingly levitating before them.

"Blake," Yang began without looking away from the unconscious child, "I think this is one of the most serious cases we've seen in years. And I think we need another syringe."

"Correct on both accounts," Blake replied, as entranced and worried as her colleague by the sight in front of them, "I'll go get the syringe."

"Actually, I was thinking we could both go." Yang ventured.

"Good plan!" And with that both doctors ran out of the room, slamming the door hard behind them in their attempt to flee.

Ruby meanwhile simply cradled Weiss like she had done so many nights before, the entity gently running her hand through Weiss' silken strands, whispering anything she thought could comfort the girl that was a part of her.

_It's ok Weiss, we'll get through this. I'm sure we will have a great time here. I'm always there for you. _

_Always._


	2. Snow Bride

** Hey guys,**

** TheBrokenBottle here with the first real chapter of Inseparable Souls.**

**First of all, I'd just like to say how blown away I am by the support this has received. As of writing, it currently has 41 favourites and 70 followers, and that's only from the prologue! I hoped that this would be successful, but I never imagined it would be quite this successful, and every email I get only spurs me on to write more, so keep 'em coming!**

**Secondly, there's the issue of what Ruby's capable of. As an entity she has certain powers, and whilst those will be obvious to anyone who's played the game, I appreciate that many of you won't have. As a result, I'll try and introduce things about Ruby slowly, but just for now understand that she has a lot of strange and unusual powers that even she isn't fully aware of.**

**Now I'd be remiss if I didn't mention this next bit. Some of you may be aware of NobleMETA's story Brand New World, and the latest chapter is named after this story! It's humbling to have an author as good as him recognise my work, so here's a shoutout to him. Go read it if you haven't already.**

**This story is greatly important to me, and this chapter especially. There's a note at the end that explains in full detail, and I'd really appreciate it if you took the time to read that. Know I know this chapter is a bit on the long side, but hey, that isn't a bad thing... I think? Anyway: Don't forget to read, review, follow, favourite and enjoy!**

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><p><strong>December 3rd 2014, 11:15AM, Vale Paranormal Activity Center<strong>

_Hey, Weiss, watch this!_

The white-haired girl turned around sharply just in time to see a mound of snow come tumbling down from a nearby tree branch to crash into the ground next to her with a muffled thump. Above her, Ruby sat on the very same branch, swinging her feet casually.

"Ruby! That could have hit me!" She protested, though she really didn't mind the antics of the playful entity.

_But it didn't! Relax, I gave you a warning_.

Weiss didn't respond immediately, but bent down with a sly smile. The usually green forest floor was carpeted in a thick white blanket, and Weiss had been given permission to go out and play, as long as she was within view of the Vale Paranormal Activity Center at all times. Scooping up as much snow as she could in her white mittens, she compacted it into a ball and hurled it at the grinning entity.

Perhaps unsurprisingly it passed right through Ruby, sailing off into the distance to disappear amongst the brilliant white canvas, causing Ruby's grin to quickly turn into full-on laughter. Even though her mirthful cries could only be heard by Weiss, to the young girl it felt like the whole forest was listening her entity's chuckling.

"Don't laugh at me!" Weiss stamped her foot and pouted at Ruby, who just dissolved into further fits of giggles, losing her precarious balance and tumbling to the ground as a result. Snow showered out from the impact, covering the base of the tree and the young girl who stood at it's side. Fortunately for Weiss her outfit had been picked with this in mind; a well-chosen mix of light, pastel blues and whites making for an emsemble that was pleasing to the eye yet warm enough to ward away the harsh bite of the winter air.

_Ow… Weiss, I think I broke something..._

"Ruby, stop being ridiculous. You don't have anything to break!" While what Weiss said was technically true she still extended a hand to Ruby's prone form, only to scream in surprise when the mischievous entity grabbed the warm hand and dragged Weiss down to join her in the snow. To the white-haired, snow-covered girl, it felt like thin, clammy skin enveloping her own, despite her gloves, and she quickly removed her hand from the firm grip as soon as she was able.

_Gotcha Weiss, didn't I?_

An exaggerated sigh that was mostly smothered by the snow resonated out from Weiss' position in the snowbank, and she pushed herself up onto her elbows and looked at the spirit lying sprawled next to her. Ruby's ability to become corporeal was one that baffled the scientists and Weiss alike, though Weiss just learned to accept it instead of constantly trying to find the meaning of it.

"That wasn't very nice," she began, a wide grin drawn on her face, "but yes, you got me."

Ruby made a contented noise and shuffled closer to Weiss, her presence warming and reassuring the young girl.

_Hey, Weiss?_

"Yes, Ruby?"

_We're going to be friends forever, right?_

"Of course. Friends forever," Weiss replied with a slight chuckle, as though the notion of them being anything else was simply too outlandish to even consider.

There they lay, allowing the remnants of the morning to drift by and the surrounding snow to gradually melt. Though she would normally suffer quickly in the cold, with Ruby there Weiss was able to enjoy the winter landscape to it's fullest. The white-haired girl twisted as she felt the red haze swing her arms around her waist, pulling the two closer together.

_Hold me, it's freezing!_

Knowing that the entity had no sense of feeling Weiss pushed her off, holding back laughter at the frankly adorable sight of the pouting ghost.

"I think we should head back, I'm pretty cold and we promised Yang and Blake we'd be back before midday."

_Whatever you wish, princess!_

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><p>The two of them made their way up the snow-covered mountain towards the imposing building that stood vigil from the mountain-top. They took their time, reluctant to go inside and leave their snowy paradise, and as a result of their dawdling it was almost 12 pm when Weiss greeted the security guards with a smile upon her return.<p>

"Hello Tim, hi Ben!" She called out enthusiastically with a wave. As always they gave her a brief smile and feigned indifference, before Ben bent down and picked up the little girl, twirling her round and round with a big grin on his face.

"Hey there Weiss, you been making snow angels or something?" He queried as he set her back down, gesturing to the snow that still clung to the outside of her thick coat.

"Huh? Oh, no. It's just Ruby dragged me into the snow." Weiss replied with fake annoyance.

Ben laughed at this, his gentle green eyes shining in the weak sun. Ever since she'd first been admitted to the VPAC Weiss had quickly become a favourite with the staff, with her inquisitive nature and enthusiastic entity endearing her to everyone, and two of her favourites were Ben and Tim, security guards who gladly welcomed the company of the young girl.

Of the two, Ben was the taller at just shy of six foot, though to Weiss they both seemed like giants. His dark ginger hair was cut close to his skull, and when he took off the beret that was part of his uniform, the deep orange somehow contrasted the rich crimson of his jacket. The unnecessarily ceremonial nature of the garb was something that both of them commented on, but tradition was upheld within the VPAC, oftimes at the expense of practicality.

"So where is the little scamp?" Ben asked playfully, his soothing baritone reassuring Weiss as he spoke.

_Here I am!_

Though only Weiss had heard her, Ruby latched on to his leg, throwing Ben off-balance for a fraction of a second.

"Ruby!" Weiss scolded, "I've told you not to do that to people!"

_Sorry…_

Despite Ruby not sounding in the least bit sorry, Weiss relented and turned to Tim. As she watched he finished his roll-up and dropped the end into the cold snow, the remnants of the tobacco smouldering for a bit before burning out.

"Hey there kid." He greeted casually, ignoring his stricken comrade and the spirit clinging resolutely to his leg.

"Hi Tim. You really shouldn't smoke, you know. It's bad for you." Weiss lectured as she always did, and Tim brushed it off with a smile.

"I know. How you holding?"

She scowled slightly at him but pressed on regardless. "Good. Ruby and I played in the snow for a bit. It's nice getting to enjoy it whilst it's here."

Indeed it was, with the VPAC usually only having about 3 months of snow a year, and in the six weeks since Weiss had first arrived there the snow had begun to fall, meaning that the season was on its way out. In previous years the snow signalled pain and misery for Weiss and her spirit, but this time it held the wonder and magic it was supposed to for children her age. The joy of the winter was new to her, and it was something she revelled wholeheartedly in.

"Sounds good." Tim wasn't a man of a great number of words, and it showed. Instead he spent most of his time accumulating tatoos and band merchandise that was discreetly hidden beneath his uniform. The couple of times Weiss had seen him in his own clothing she hardly recognised him he looked that different.

Something about talking to Weiss helped to mitigate the boredom and monotony of standing outside a building that almost nobody ever visited, and both the young girl and her excitable spirit were fascinated by the two men.

"Hey Weiss, Yang wanted to see you." Ben called out, still imobile due to the excitable spirit glued to his leg.

Weiss nodded sadly; wanting to spend more time with the two guards, but she knew that if Yang wanted to see her it was probably important. Besides: Blake would probably be worrying herself sick over the young girl, despite Weiss having Ruby to look after her.

"Ruby, leave Ben alone. We're going inside." She mumbled despondently, and the spirit let the guard go with a sigh, before scooping up a handful of snow with a wicked grin and hurling it at Tim. The snowball flew true and sent his cap spinning to the ground, bits of snow clinging to his needlessly long hair.

"Ow!" He cried without dignity, and Weiss, Ben and Ruby looked at him for a split second before all three burst into laughter. The sudden snowball had surprised all of them but Ruby, and seeing Tim's normally cool demeanour shattered like that was a rare treat.

After a good minute or so of laughing at Tim as he tried to maintain his composure, Weiss reached into her pockets and fished out the laminated pass to gain entrance to the facility, holding it towards Tim and Ben, the former having recovered his hat once again. With a quick check and a smile they waved her towards a panel, where a chip within the card was detected. The large metal doors that barred entrance to the compound opened with remarkable speed, and Weiss stepped inside into the warmth.

Instantly her cheeks reddened at the change in temperature, and she hurridely shed her jacket in an attempt to cool back down. The remnants of the snow that clung to the jacket was already beginning to melt and drip to the floor, soaking the polished metal.

"Ruby, can you hold my coat?"

_Sure thing Weiss. We going straight there?_

"Probably for the best." Weiss conceded, making her way begrudgingly towards the office shared by Blake and Yang. As they walked, she talked to Ruby, stopping only to say hi to any member of staff that crossed their path. The VPAC was large enough to accommodate sleeping facilities for a good proportion of its staff, and the office the two doctors worked in happened to be almost at the other end of the facility. As such, the walk from the entrance was almost two miles of dull, uninteresting corridor; a distance that, with her little legs, seemed to take forever for Weiss.

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><p>An unassuming door with a small bronze plaque signalled the office, and by the time Weiss arrived there, out of breath from her walk, the time was fast approaching 1 pm. All the way she'd had Ruby's company, and though at times it got a little overbearing, there was honestly no-one she'd rather be with.<p>

Turning the handle and opening the door, Weiss was both surprised and shocked to see an all-too-familiar blonde scientist, leaning over her table, her partner resting beneath her, drawn out moans escaping her trembling lips as Yang continued to kiss and caress her. Ruby and Weiss let out a simultaneous "_Ewwww_", the younger girl's eyes meeting the red haze's.

_Gross!_

Blake's hand clenched the sides of the table after a particularly passionate kiss, causing a "People Like Grapes" mug, filled with an assortment of stationery to be sent flying, shattering on the floor and spilling the pens everywhere. The sudden noise drew the attention of the two scientists, and they both looked up, only for Blake's ears to flatten against her skull in embarassment at seeing Weiss standing in the doorway.

"Weiss?!" They shrieked as one, and Yang quickly jumped off the faunus who had her hands over her almost-bare upper body, her lab coat discarded on the floor along with a few other items of disheveled clothing.

"Yes?" She replied with the utmost innocence, an angelic smile on her face that hid a devilish smirk at the situation she'd just walked in on.

Despite being young, Weiss had a pretty good idea of what it was Yang and Blake were doing. It wasn't the first time Weiss had walked in on their actions, the white-haired girl having seen them kissing in the canteen or flirting and subtly rubbing against each other during experiments. The first time it happened, she didn't understand how two women could love each other, but after Yang had talked to her about it Weiss realised that the love between Yang and Blake was as beautiful as any love between a man and a woman, and as she'd grown used to it, she'd come to appreciate the flame the two scientists shared.

A flame that burned bright and strong.

"G-good afternoon Weiss, w-we didn't know if you knew to meet us here." Yang stuttered, attempting to help Blake tidy herself up, without any success.

An embarrassing silence descended on the room as a smirk drew on Weiss' face.

"Uhm, Blake.. could you get something to clean that up?" Yang continued, trying to break the embarrassing silence, her finger pointing at the circle of broken pottery and pens.

"Why me?" Blake whined, sounding like a spoilt child and amusing both Weiss and her entity.

"Uhh… You knocked it over?"

"But you were the one sedu-"

"_Nah ah ah._" Yang shook her index finger, leaving no room for argument. "You want me to use the laser pointer?" The blonde smirked. She knew Blake was unable to resist the red dot, having seen her colleague chacing it around the room before, getting increasingly frustrated at how it always seemed to move faster than her.

"YANG! You're not going to~!"

"Too late."

So saying, she pulled a small device out from one of the many pockets of her labcoat, the blonde having kept hers on throughout the heated make-out session. As soon as Blake saw the laser pointer her eyes narrowed and her back hunched instinctively in anticipation of the appearance of her nemesis, and sure enough, Yang dramatically pointed it at her feet, causing the faunus to leap back out of fear. Yang quickly flicked the dot up to a point on the wall, and Blake threw herself desperately at it, colliding with the wall as she did so.

"Dammit Yang!" She cursed, the spell seemingly broken, and she hurried out of the room to escape her tormentor. Yang took a quick moment to savour her victory before closing the door. Instantly her shoulders slumped slightly, and as she watched Blake scamper down the corridor a wistful sigh escaped her lips.

With Blake gone, Yang turned to Weiss with an almost embarrassed look on her face, and she ushered the young girl to sit down on one of the chairs that lined the room.

_Weiss, what's going on?_

"I don't know Ruby, I don't know." She replied curtly, though that was only in an attempt to mask the worry in her voice. She trusted Yang entirely, but in the VPAC, things were never quite as they seemed.

"Weiss, there's no need to panic. I just needed to speak to you without Blake in the room is all," Yang reassured, "now can you give me your opinion of this?"

So saying, she reached into a pocket and pulled out a small box that sat pretty in the palm of her hand, the shimmering gold of the clasp and hinges standing out against the deep blue of the velvet covering; the box itself a work of art. Something about the box was enchanting to Weiss, and she found her gaze drawn to it; so simple and yet hiding so many mysteries.

"What's that?" Weiss questioned, her head slighty tilted in curiosity. Hesitanty, she reached out a finger, but shyly pulled it back soon after.

"Look inside! I'm sure you'll like what you're about to see." Yang mysteriously grinned, pushing the young white-haired over the edge of inquisitiveness as she gently took the small case in her own tender hands, every touch anxious as if it was about to break.

"As we already know, Ruby possesses clairvoyance. Now I know that sounds hard to understand, but she can look into the future. I want you, Weiss, to ask Ruby what she sees in this object."

_Yes sir!_

Ruby's clairvoyance was one of the things that had been discovered during their time at the VPAC. Other entities had been observed to have the ability to trace the origin of certain objects, but Ruby was different. When they'd tried her on the test for clairvoyance she'd shown an extraordinary ability to see a potential future of those objects. This was unprecedented, and a great number of other scenarios had been set up to find the full extent of her power and how reliably she was able to use it.

Weiss gingerly held the delicate box towards the equally nervous Ruby, who thought for a second before snatching it quickly and letting her mind expand. Instantly she was surrounded by images and possibilities, the entire future of the box and it's contents laid bare before her. The box being opened and revealing a ring. Shock and surprise at the reveal. An afirmative. A hurried kiss. A bride-to-be waiting at the altar. Her wife standing at her side, their love eternal.

_Whoa, that's beautiful!_

"What is it Ruby?" Weiss asked tentatively, still unsure whether there was something untoward going on.

_Weiss, I think Blake and Yang are getting married!_

Ruby rarely got this excited about anything, and the spirit's wonder and joy was infectious, causing a small smile to crack on Weiss' face.

"Really?!" She asked; incredulity thick in her voice and eyebrows raised sky-high. She knew that the two scientists loved each other, but she had no idea it ran this deep.

"Yep!" Yang replied happily, "I was thinking of treating her out to a meal and then asking her at the end."

Weiss thought on this. Blake and Yang were getting married! They would finally be able to stop trying to hide their little trysts, and she could only imagine how much this must mean to them. Almost as an after-thought Weiss inched open the box to look at the ring itself. Inside was a single band of white gold, delicate filigree holding a magnificent diamond aloft to sparkle like a million stars.

"I don't really know much about these things," Yang admitted, rubbing the back of her neck in embarrassment, "but I think this one's nice enough for her, right? I mean it should be with what I had to pay for it!"

_It's beautiful! Weiss, we're gonna be bridesmaids!_

"Calm down Ruby, that's their choice not ours," she scalded, though secretly Weiss longed to be a bridesmaid, "but yes, it is beautiful."

"So do you think she'll say yes?" Yang asked, a hint of worry and doubt tinging her voice.

"Of course she will." Weiss responded matter-of-factly, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Yang exhaled steadily, and instantly it looked like a great weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Her trademark grin reappeared, and she gently pulled Weiss into a hug, the young girl happy to reciprocate. Yang's golden curls hung around her waist, mingling with Weiss' ivory ones, and the two remained there for a good while, not even minding when Ruby forced her way in and hugged both of them with unbridled enthusiasm.

"Thanks kiddo, I needed that." The older woman murmured as she held the little girl in her arms. Weiss squeezed slightly harder in response, and the three of them stayed there for as long as they dared. After a minute or so Yang relaxed her arms, Weiss doing the same as soon as she realised.

"Now you two run along, and don't tell anyone about this!"

Weiss smiled like an angel, the innocence portrayed not matching the mischief on her mind. Sure, she wouldn't tell Blake, but that didn't mean she couldn't tease Yang a bit first.

"We won't!" she called behind her as the two of them left, and headed towards their dorm. All the way back her mind was a hive of activity, and she barely registered anything or anyone she passed. Yang and Blake were getting married! And she was going to be a bridesmaid.

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><p><strong>This story found its way on FanFiction on November the 8th 2014; my little niece's birthday. Lot's of you have asked me what happened to her, or why I made this story. It's purely in her honour, and I'm proud to own this fic. And I'm honestly just as proud to have the always loyal YellowSign standing next to me through this fic; for the support, and to get this story the quality we think it deserves.<strong>

**This, I say from the bottom of my heart:**

**Halfway through August this year, my little niece Delilah died in a car accident. On their way back from a party, their car got scooped by a drunk trucker, ending upside-down against a tree. (Sorry, It's emotional to bring this up.) My aunt survived, her youngest daughter (my younger niece) fortunately wasn't there that time, but her oldest daughter didn't survive the crash, and I know my aunt doesn't read it and it was already told to her a thousand times but;**

**I feel truly sorry for her, since Delilah was an angel of a girl.**

**In the prologue, I told you all she had an imaginary friend, she did everything with when she was alone. Despite her young age, she understood people easily, ready to give them a hand and drag them up, out of their dark spirits. As a lesbian, I'm very insecure about myself, too afraid to help others, but since she isn't anymore, I dedicated my life helping and amusing others. To me, she lights up my life, even though she's dead now, and I still miss her every second a day.**

**YellowSign: Hi all, it's been a while. Whilst I haven't been particularly active here or elsewhere, I've been in contact with Tammy a lot. Primarily I'm here to help her write (and I think we can all agree that she's come on a huge amount, especially considering that English isn't her mother tongue), but we've also become close friends through our work. She's helping me battle my demons, and without her constant support I'm not sure I'd be here today.**

**It's because she's done all this for me that I wanted to repay her, and I hope that this story goes some way towards that. It means a huge amount to her, and to me as well. She's not the only person to have lost those close to her, and with permission I've included two characters in this chapter; Ben and Tim. Both were good friends, and both are no longer with us. I wanted to pay them the respects I was unable to in life, and maybe this goes some way towards doing that. They aren't the only people I've lost, nor are they likely to be the last, but the circumstances around both hits me hard every day.**

**Thank you for taking the time to read this. I know how much it means to Tammy, and all I can do is give you honest thanks from the bottom of my heart. Next chapter might be a little less emotional for all, but until then take care. All of you.**

**See you next chapter!**

**TheBrokenBottle and YellowSign.**


	3. As Time I Shatter

**AN: Welcome to the second chapter of Inseparable Souls. Sorry there's been such a delay with this coming out but December's a busy month for me and my beta, so we've done our best.**

**A special thank you to Mister Spark for helping out with this and hopefully other projects in the future. This is a bit of a long chapter, but we think it's worth it. Also, we're adding a bit of angst here and showing that things won't always be so bright for our characters. Take that as a warning: it might get dark later on. But it will be nothing disturbing.**

**Thank you to everyone who's taken the time to read this story. It means a great deal to me whenever I get an email from a follower, favourite or review, and when they're about this story it's even more special. I know YellowSign also has a vested interest in this, so it makes me even more happy when I tell him. So please, please keep them coming. You make my day.**

**This and the next chapter will be dedicated to character background and developement, enjoy!**

**Thank you, all of you -TBB, YS & MS**

**Read, review, follow, favourite and enjoy.**

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><p><strong>January 24th 2015, 3:00 AM, VPAC<strong>

_Dreams are strange, aren't they, Weiss?_

Ruby's voice surrounded the apprehensive girl but there was no sign of the entity herself; no red haze, no shimmering band connecting them.

"Ruby? Ruby are you there?" She called out into the enveloping and suffocating blackness that swirled around her, its unseen weight dragging her shoulders down.

_Of course Weiss, I'm always here. Don't you remember? Don't you remember the day you found that out?_

A sob escaped her mouth and tears began to build within her eyes. She could never forget that terrible day; the one day she was truly alone.

As if by cruel fate, colours and shapes began to form in front of her in the outline of a room. Her room. Back when she had her own room, and her own house, and her own parents…..

"Why are you showing me this? What have I done?" She wailed, desperate to escape the nightmare that was quickly unfolding before her eyes. Every night she prayed that she wouldn't have to relive the traumatic events that haunted her subconsciousness, and every morning she'd dread the night to come in case it happened again.

As the image in front of her finished materialising she realized that she was looking at herself, a younger Weiss Schnee laying in a lavish and extravagant bed resting peacefully. This version of herself was untroubled, she had no idea of the horror they were about to witness.

_Do you like it, Weiss? Do you remember all of this?_

"Stop, please stop!" She begged, unable to do anything to prevent the inevitable catastrophe that was about to befall the other Weiss, but incapable of looking away.

Her doppelganger was slowly waking, and a thin spectral chain linked itself from her wrist to a near-identical Ruby that was hovering nearby. The younger version of herself was slowly going through the motions of getting up, and the other Ruby was being a typical hindrance to her.

"Don't do it! Don't open the door!" Weiss screamed as loud as she could, but her voice was barely above a whisper.

_What's the matter Weiss? I thought you wanted to remember why I'm always here for you?_

"Go away! You're not…. not real." Weiss struggled out, her words catching in her throat. Every time she had this dream a twisted version of Ruby would show up to torment and torture her, and hearing these things coming from Ruby hurt more than she thought possible. Even though she knew it wasn't real, it still wounded her deeply.

_Have it your way, then._

And as suddenly as the scene before her had appeared, it vanished into thin air, leaving Weiss surrounded by darkness once again. Despite it being purely in her unconscious mind, the madness of the dream was beginning to affect Weiss, and an unnatural chill ran up and down her frail body. Reliving such a traumatic experience wasn't easy to deal with, and a single tear fell from her eyes, with others threatening to join it.

_Don't forget Weiss: I'm always here for you._

"Why are you doing this? Why can't you just leave me alone?" She pleaded through her tears, unable to think rationally.

_You'll see._

Ruby's voice was strangely hollow and empty, and it resonated around her head until she could take no more, when suddenly the scene changed yet again, Weiss finding herself deposited in a simple room. Cream paint coated four walls, and two plain wooden chairs lay propped against a similarly nondescript table, giving a basic impression of a fairly dull place, but Weiss noticed none of this. Instead, her eyes were fixated on the other person stood in the room, a mixture of fear and wonder playing across her beautiful blue orbs.

A young girl roughly her age, though Weiss would have guessed a little younger, was stood there, hands clasped in front of her and a cheeky smile on her face. A mess of deep brown hair, tinged red at the tips, hung down over her forehead, and it seemed the love of the colour red had manifested itself in more than just her hair: a billowing red cape had been fastened around her shoulders, fluttering about in an imaginary breeze. Clunky combat boots that seemed a size too large for her reached towards her knees, only to reveal black tights and a black-and-red corset-style dress.

"Hello Weiss."

"R-ruby?" She whispered, her voice raw with emotion. It seemed impossible, yet Weiss longed with every fibre of her being for it to be true.

"Yes. I've waited so long to meet you like this. Weiss, I love you."

A strange feeling began to develop in the young girl's stomach and her voice failed her as she tried to respond; the words dying in her mouth.

"Weiss, you mean the world to me. I'm nothing without you. Please, just come over here and let me touch you for real. Please."

Though she had no idea why, Weiss found herself walking forward towards Ruby. She had to admit that she'd wondered herself what it would be like to feel Ruby's skin in her hand. To hold the one who meant so much to her. But this was different, this wasn't really Ruby, right? Weiss didn't know, but she was unable to stop herself from inching closer and closer to the other girl.

As she did, Ruby raised one hand palm up and indicated for her to do the same, a gentle yet captivating smile on her lips.

"Please Weiss, hold my hand. Let me touch you just this once."

Her entire body was shaking uncontrollably and her hand almost collapsed to her side as she held it out towards Ruby. She _needed _this, she needed to know that Ruby was real. That all her promises of being there forever were true. That the two of them would never be apart.

But as her hand rested in Ruby's it fell straight through. There was no contact, no feeling, no touch.

"What's the matter Weiss, why won't you hold my hand?" Ruby asked, confusion evident on her face.

"I-I'm trying Ruby." She mumbled, more to herself than the other girl, and she reached out again to grab the proffered hand, only to find herself grasping at thin air.

"Weiss, don't you love me?" Ruby cried, her voice thick with the hurt she was feeling.

"I do! I'm trying!" Weiss wailed, her voice catching in her throat as tears fell freely down alabaster skin.

"Do you really?" Ruby pleaded.

"Yes!"

"Well that's a shame," Ruby replied, her voice growing distant and cruel, "because I don't love you."

Weiss could have sworn her heart stopped in her chest as she looked upon a now scornful and twisted face. "You honestly thought I loved you? I'm shackled to you Weiss: that's all this is. If I could get away I'd do so in a flash. Look at you: snivelling over there. You're pathetic Weiss, just a burden I have to deal with on a daily basis."

Each bitter word was like a hammer blow to Weiss and she collapsed gracelessly to her knees, the river of tears having become a torrent. Why would Ruby say these things? Could they be true? Was she just a burden?

Her tormentor faded away but her voice did not, instead continuing to drive a stake further into her heart. Each syllable remained ingrained on her mind, the words repeating themselves over and over again until she begged them to stop, clutching her head and screwing shut her eyes in desperation.

"I'm sick of you Weiss. Even your name revolts me. Weiss. Weiss. Weiss. Weiss, are you okay?"

"Argh!"

"Hey, it's all right. Weiss, everything's fine."

A calm and soothing tone filled her ears and hesitantly she opened her eyes. Gone was the simple room, replaced instead by the dull yet reassuring cream of the VPAC dorm that had been allocated to Weiss. Her sheets were soaked in sweat and clung to her deathly pale skin, shivers wracking her frail shoulders and unshed tears welling in her eyes, her breathing erratic and laboured.

"Weiss?" A hesitant voice called from behind her, causing Weiss to jump in shock, "Weiss, are you okay?"

Yang? What was Yang doing in her room?

"I heard you screaming from the corridor, is everything okay?"

Weiss didn't answer, instead burying her head into her pillow and allowing the tears to fall freely into the soft fabric. A short while later she felt the mattress shift as Yang sat down, and a caring hand rested gently on her shoulder, the warmth comforting her already.

"Hey, do you want a hug?"

Not bothering to answer, Weiss latched on to Yang's midriff, the scientist wrapping her arms around the young girl and pulling her in tight. There they stayed, Weiss silently sobbing until she had no more tears to cry and Yang holding her the entire time.

_Hmm? What time is it?_

A sleepy voice mumbled in her subconscious mind and she froze once again; unprepared to deal with hearing Ruby so soon after such a tortuous dream. Yang must have sensed this, for she hugged Weiss even closer than before.

"Do you want to tell me what's wrong?" She asked kindly, receiving only a shake of the head as Weiss clung tighter to her in desperation.

_Huh? Is something wrong? Weiss, what happened?_

The young girl didn't answer, instead trying her best to tune out both Yang and Ruby. She wasn't ready for this yet, her imagination torturing her with recollections of her dream. Of Ruby's words. Of the heartbreak she was still feeling. Of the very real fear that it would happen again. So instead she cried, cried until the voices of Yang and Ruby were but distant memories and she was drifting off to sleep once more in the arms of the concerned scientist. And when she woke properly she could deal with this, but until then she let herself be enveloped by the subconscious realm of her mind and drift off.

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><p>When she woke again, Weiss was exhausted. Her second stint of sleep had been dreamless, but she was grateful for this; preferring restless sleep to the pain of before.<p>

_Morning Weiss!_

She froze once again, her skin crawling at the sound that resonated within her head. Ruby was up already, and seemingly her usual cheerful self, but Weiss knew that the spirit would be thinking about earlier just as much as she was. She could only hope Ruby decided not to question her further.

"Morning Ruby," she replied with an exaggerated yawn, "I think after the tests today I'll do a bit of reading, if you're fine with that."

_Oh. I mean sure, if that's what you really want…_

Weiss steeled herself against the pitiful words and mumbled a quick apology before beginning to get dressed. It was an unwritten rule between the two that whenever Weiss was reading Ruby would leave her alone on account of the entity reading over her shoulder and reading aloud as she did so. Though many people tried to understand, no-one could quite appreciate the difficulty of reading a book whilst someone else read aloud in your head a few paragraphs back.

That morning was cold even for the time of year, and Weiss pulled on an extra woolen jumper to shield herself from the chill; the dyed strands itching her neck but providing the warmth she needed. It was a sign, therefore, of just how preoccupied Blake was that she didn't even mention it when Weiss strolled into the office, instead sitting in her chair and idly fiddling with her engagement ring.

_Hey Weiss: I think Blake's forgotten about us!_

Despite the previous night Weiss smiled slightly at this and cleared her throat deliberately, just as she'd seen Yang do many times before.

"Huh? Oh, hello Weiss! When did you get here?"

"About five minutes ago." She giggled, laughing at Blake's flustered attempt to apologise.

Somehow, just seeing an embarrassed Blake try and pretend that she hadn't been daydreaming cheered Weiss up significantly, and her mood was further improved by the arrival of Yang; the scientist bursting through the door with stacks and stacks of paper held in a rough pile in her arms, shedding sheets with every step.

"Sorry I'm late, I had a few things to take care of."

"Yang, are you ever on time?" Blake queried, only half-jokingly.

"Erm, sometimes?" she answered weakly before turning to Weiss, "Anyway, it was important. I was sorting out a surprise for this little rascal."

Weiss pouted at the name, but inside she was instantly curious. A surprise? What could it be? And did it have anything to do with what had gone on that morning?

_Hey Weiss, what do you think the surprise is?_

"I don't know, Ruby." She replied aloud, though she was just as inquisitive as her entity.

"That's not important right now," Yang interjected, "and besides: it's a surprise. Can't be ruining it for you!"

"I suppose…" Weiss mumbled, looking away. She really wanted to know what it was that Yang was arranging for her, but she assumed that whatever Blake wanted her for must be more important. Her assumption was proven correct when Blake handed Yang a labcoat and safety goggles, causing the young girl's face to light up with an infectious grin. Whenever the two scientists wore their labcoats it meant time experimenting with Ruby in the containment facility at the heart of the VPAC, and there were a couple of reasons she enjoyed these sessions. Firstly, it was a time when she could show other people what Ruby could really do: something she longed for on an almost daily basis. And secondly, they always bought her cookies afterwards. Nice cookies as well.

Blake led the three of them to the facility, with Yang looking over some notes regarding the last such experiment and Weiss having to deal with Ruby's inane chatter. Her entity meant the world to her, but sometimes she just got a little overbearing; especially after the occurrences of the previous night.

"Ok people, standard drill," the faunus began as they arrived, "Weiss, you and Ruby go inside the experimentation zone, Yang will be in shortly with the objects and I will be in the observation room. If there's anything you need then just let us know, ok?"

Weiss nodded with a smile, thinking more about the cookies than the experiment, and entered the experimentation zone after Blake opened the door for her. It was a small room, maybe only 10 feet by 10 feet, and the usual cream-colouring of the walls had been replaced by thick metal sheets. It seemed not all the entities here were as friendly as Ruby…

"Ok Weiss, can you hear me?" Blake called out through the speaker system wired up to the experimentation room. The tinny tone to her voice was muffled by the poor quality of the speakers, but Weiss was able to make out what was being said, and she responded accordingly.

"Good. Now for today's experiment we want to see more of Ruby's clairvoyance. Is that ok with you two?"

"Yes Blake, it's fine." Weiss replied with a smile. She loved the way Blake looked out for her, almost like a mother, and the constant reassurance was just what she needed after the torment of last night.

"Right. Well first of all we have a few objects we'd like Ruby to look at. Yang will bring them in shortly."

As if on cue, the heavy reinforced door to the experimentation zone was heaved open and a trolley with several items on it was wheeled in by an exhausted Yang, who manouvered it to a central position before closing the door and leaning against the wall, grumbling about manual labour as she did so.

After hearing the door slam shut, Weiss turned towards the items arrayed before her with intrigue. Beyond Yang's ring, she'd never really seen Ruby use her clairvoyance, so it fascinated her just as much as it did the scientists.

The first object on offer was a worn leather soccer ball, the original shine having long since been scuffed away and bits of the seam coming loose from overuse. It no longer held it's spherical shape, instead forming more of an oval where the air had gradually leaked out and it had gone flat over the years. All in all, it was quite a mess.

"Go on Ruby." Weiss encouraged, and the spirit hesitantly reached out to touch it.

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><p>At first, she didn't understand what she was seeing. Weiss found herself standing in a muddy field with the hot sun blazing down from above, the sounds of summer all around. A large group of children ran around the field, chasing and kicking after a very familiar ball. There must have been a few dozen, and the goalposts were marked out by coats left on the ground. None of the children looked particularly wealthy, with torn shirts and ripped pants, but they seemed to be enjoying themselves despite their poverty.<p>

Weiss watched as a boy older than the others made a brutal tackle to steal the ball from another player, plowing through the other children through sheer size alone. Just as he was within striking distance, there was a flash of gold and the ball was suddenly missing, stolen in the blink of an eye. Despite the flimsy quality of the ball, it seemed to dance about as if by magic, the quick feet and obvious skill allowing them to dart past several players, before striking with the outside of the foot and curling it past the keeper. Upon watching it fly past his outstretched arms, she wheeled around, her long blonde hair whipping in the breeze as she did so, and she was mobbed by her teammates, still cheering her name.

_Weiss, I think this was Yang's._

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><p>Weiss blinked and felt her consciousness return to the present. She didn't know why, but seeing those kids play like that made her feel excited. When was the last time she was able to go outside and play with other kids her age? Even back before <em>that<em> happened…

Shaking her head, the young girl relayed what she had seen to an expectant Yang, who simply laughed, handing her the next item without a word.

This one was a chocolate bar, the edges slightly curved, indicating it had been melted slightly and resolidified. A part of Weiss briefly considered eating it, because it was one of her favourites, but she quickly pushed that thought aside and indicated for Ruby to investigate it instead, and her entity obliged.

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><p>Once again, she was assaulted by images from the past, looking at a place strangely familiar to her. After a moment, she recognized it as one of the many dull and uninteresting corridors of the VPAC, the metal floor and cream walls seeming to sap her will even through the clairvoyant state. A large vending machine sat against the wall, the bright colours and flashing lights alien amongst the dreary backdrop, illuminating a frustrated Yang, cursing and shaking the machine in frustration.<p>

"Having trouble?"

Yang jumped at the unexpected voice, unable to immediately reply.

"You must be new. This is how you do it,"

So saying, the newcomer strode up, smirked at the other woman, and without warning, delivered a swift roundhouse kick to the side of the machine.

"Whoa, what are you doing?!"

"Watch."

Not a moment later, the machine belched out two identical chocolate bars, one of which was hastily grabbed by Yang.

"Thanks! And your name is?"

"Blake. Dr. Blake Belladonna."

"Cute. Hey, you mind teaching me more about this place? I've managed to get lost like five times already…"

Blake laughed kindly and gestured for Yang to follow.

"Wait, don't you want this chocolate bar?"

"No, you keep hold of it for now."

Yang hesitated for a second before smiling and following Blake, glad to have made a friend at her new workplace already.

_We used to have vending machines? Cool!_

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><p>Just like that, Weiss' concentration was broken and she was brought back to reality, sitting in front of a patient Yang. It was hard to describe, but she had a warm and cozy feeling inside her chest after seeing how the two lovebirds met. It was like something out of a fairytale.<p>

"Is everything alright, Weiss?"

"Yes, sorry. This candy is from when you first met Blake and she kicked the vending machine, right?"

Yang nodded with a smile, "She sure knows how to make an impression. I'll tell you a story about that later, right now we need to look at the final item."

So saying, the scientist reached over to the tray and removed the final item, holding it neatly in the palm of her hand, but when Weiss saw just what it was her blood ran cold.

It was just a simple watch, a red leather strap holding a decidedly un-decorative centre-piece, but for Weiss it was so, so much more. It brought back memories of her own, memories of that terrible day. Memories of opening her bedroom door. Memories of anguished faces, frozen in time forever. Memories of her parents' cold, lifeless bodies.

_Weiss are you ok?_

Ruby's words went unnoticed by the young girl; her attention solely focused on the watch. She saw the hands slowly ticking round, as though the world was grinding to a sudden and definite stop. She could hear the screams she made all those years ago once more and the stench of death surfaced again.

_Weiss!_

Vaguely she was aware of things smashing around her but at the same time they felt so far away, as though she was hearing a distant echo from atop a mountain. Glass shattering, a tray hurtling through the room, a woman's screams. But it seemed so meaningless, so inconsequential she barely even registered it. Even the strain on her connection to Ruby quickly faded to nothing, as the waking world collapsed around her.

As if by cruel fate she found herself reliving the events of that terrible night; her vision a cruel parody of her dream earlier that day. She followed herself waking up and getting out of bed, her mind too shocked and horrified to do anything other than watch on in stunned silence as she pushed herself out of bed and headed towards the bedroom door. Her bedroom door. Unlike her nightmare, the scene didn't end here and instead continued through the doorway and towards the scene awaiting her.

_Weiss!_

Blood. Bodies. Death. And a single watch with a red leather strap lying broken on the floor.


	4. Raging Ruby

**Hello guys, TheBrokenBottle, YellowSign and Mister Spark here with the next chapter of Inseparable Souls!**

**The three of us have been working really hard on this chapter, and are proud with the short gap between the previous update and this one. But there is also a valid reason for this early (yet great) post: It's December 21st, which means it's my birthday! (3... 2... 1... Hooray!)**

**I'm grateful beyond my wildest dreams for the feedback this story has received so far. I never thought 3 chapters would bring 123 followers along.**

**It isn't anything I've kept hidden that this story has a deep personal meaning to me, because it's in loving memory of my niece Delilah, who earlier this year died in a car accident. I have to admit: it was pretty hard, not having her be there to celebrate my birthday.**

**However, I hope you enjoy this extra-special chapter, and TheBrokenBottle, YellowSign and once again Mister Spark wish you a happy holidays! (and a happy new year!) Read, review, favourite, follow and enjoy!**

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><p><strong>January 24th 2015, 10:40 AM, VPAC<strong>

The dream ended as quickly as it had began; a bitter aftertaste and her racing heartbeat the only things lingering from the horrors of her past, and it took a second or two for Weiss to fully come to her senses, her eyes taking in the familiar metal plating on the walls and the cream paint that hid beneath.

Instantly she heard the sounds of glass fracturing and people screaming, and instinctively shielded her face from any stray shards. Weiss was prone on the floor staring blearily at the upturned table Yang had been using in their experiment from earlier. Her memory was a little hazy as to exactly what had happened or why she was on the floor, but she knew that something had gone horribly wrong; an assumption that was proven correct when she heard another crash and a desperate plea from Yang immediately after.

"Weiss! It's Ruby, stop her!"

Knowing intimately what her entity was truly capable of, Weiss felt a pit form in her stomach and slowly pulled herself off the ground, avoiding the deceptively sharp glass that was scattered everywhere. She turned toward the source of the crashing sound and saw her fears confirmed.

Ruby was in a rage, throwing anything she could get her hands on around blindly, though she seemed focused primarily on Yang, who was frantically running from the flurry of thrown projectiles. Ruby screamed at the top of her lungs, the anger and hatred masking pain and worry, and all these emotions and more weighed heavy on Weiss as she listened.

As Weiss stood in shock, the upturned table in the center of the room was picked up by Ruby and hurled at breakneck speeds directly at the observation room, colliding with the reinforced window and shattering it to pieces. The sound of glass falling filled the room, followed by a hitched gasp from Yang as pieces of glass buried themselves in her arm.

The normally peaceful and cheery entity had become a savage and untamed beast, facing down the scientists and with one shove sending Yang hurtling into the wall.

"Don't touch her!" Weiss found herself shouting at her entity, her hands balled at her side and worry creasing her brow.

_Weiss?!_

Apparently hearing her yell, Weiss watched Ruby in her terrible rage turn directly toward her, and in all her life she had never been more terrified. A deep, dark hatred dwelt within those eyes, and as they focused on her Weiss felt them burn through her; the intensity and fury behind that gaze overwhelming all her defenses and stripping her bare. As the wanton destruction continued around her, Weiss realized that, in this moment, she was _afraid of Ruby_.

_Weiss, wait!_

Weiss screamed again at the wrath of her entity and ran desperately for the destroyed doorway with Ruby following hot on her heels, the anger that had consumed her mere moments before gone and replaced with fear and concern. She wasn't thinking of anything other than escaping, of getting out of there and away from the monster she was shackled to.

"Yang!" A frantic Blake rushed over to her stricken colleague, hurriedly helping her to her feet.

"Thanks," Yang mumbled, staring out of the doorway at the trail of destruction left by Ruby and absent-mindedly holding her arm where glass had torn the skin, small streams of blood running down her pale flesh and soaking into her clothes. With Ruby seemingly gone for now, the shock of what had just happened began to sink in and leave her worn out and tired.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine. I've had worse."

"What do you think all that was about?" Blake asked as she joined Yang in looking at the ruined mess that passed for the experimentation room.

Yang didn't answer straight away, instead gazing into the middle distance with a look that could only be described as mournful. "It was that watch. Something about it caused Ruby to go berserk. Where did you get it?"

"It's something a friend gave me once." Blake shrugged, staring at the deep, bleeding bruise of her fiancé. "We've got to find Weiss."

"No, Blake." Yang stubbornly stated, holding back the other woman. "Right now Weiss is at her most fragile. I wouldn't forgive myself if I had to see her break."

It was rare for Yang to take such an uncompromising tone, and hearing her partner being so direct caused Blake to stare at her for a few seconds in puzzlement before relenting and calling for a team to come and help them. After such a traumatic experience they knew they needed to help Weiss, but for now they'd leave her alone. Blake could only hope she'd be okay when she was ready to talk.

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><p>Weiss threw herself onto her bed, sweat and tears streaming down her face, her chest heaving from running so fast, but as minutes passed, the sobs slowly faded away until all that was left was the gentle shuddering of her shoulders and staggered breathing from a raw throat.<p>

_Weiss?_

The young girl had never heard Ruby so hesitant, and it almost caused her to look up from her pillow. Ruby was never cautious: always rushing head first into any and all danger, dragging Weiss unwittingly with her, so for the entity to adopt such a gentle tone, she must have truly been scared.

"Go away." She mumbled into the pillow, though it lacked the conviction she'd hoped it would have.

_Weiss, I'm really sorry about what happened. I never meant to hurt you…_

"It's fine Ruby, it's just I couldn't deal with you raging earlier. I know you understand."

Though Weiss meant what she said, she felt guilty saying it, especially after what had occurred the previous night. How could someone whose words had hurt so much mere hours before comfort her now when she needed it most? Yet here she was, crying into a damp pillow whilst Ruby tried desperately to reassure her.

A tender hand gently caressed her frail shoulder, and she felt Ruby's warmth nearby. It was moments like this when she truly appreciated her entity. She felt complete in Ruby's presence somehow; almost as if she'd been waiting for this the entire day. Slowly shifting her body position to curl around where she knew Ruby to be, Weiss allowed herself to be embraced.

"I'm sorry Ruby," she whispered, more to herself than anything else, "I shouldn't have said those things."

_Weiss, it's fine. I'm a part of you. I know you mean no harm._

The young girl didn't bother replying, instead laying there and letting Ruby slowly soothe the pain with her words and her rhythmic stroking.

She felt truly safe here and now, in the embrace of her one, true confidant - the only person she could trust with her life. The precious few times they were able to hold each other like this were truly special to Weiss, and she felt genuinely happy for what felt like the first time since arriving at the VPAC. When they were on their own, life was simpler; they had to struggle more to survive, but it was always just them against the world, it was easy, in a way.

Blake and Yang didn't mean any harm - she understood that - but they just couldn't comprehend the intensity of what she was going through. And now, after what happened because of her, she was sure that they were going to try to contain her more. She already felt stifled within these grey walls and it was a daily struggle to get out of bed; any more and Weiss just wouldn't be able to take it.

She had to get out of here. Go back to the way things were between her and Ruby.

The VPAC was sucking the life out of them both, and if things kept going, she felt that they could only get worse. It wasn't easy turning her back on the one place she'd been able to call home, but with a heavy heart Weiss made up her mind.

"Ruby, I think we need to leave."

_Leave? And go where? _

"I don't know yet, but we can't stay here. It's not safe anymore."

_Not safe? Weiss, this is the only place we've been safe in ages! We get hot meals! A warm bed! Yang and Blake!_

"No! Ruby, don't you see? They're just using us! All these experiments are just a way for them to abuse you, to take advantage of us! They're going to turn on us, just like everyone else."

_What about Yang and Blake? They're nice to us, aren't they?_

A heavy sigh accompanied slumped shoulders, and when Weiss spoke up her voice was full of sorrow and regret. "Yeah, but they're just doctors. Their bosses can force them into doing terrible things to us. And when that happens, we'll be in trouble. We have to go. We have to go now."

Without leaving room for argument, Weiss leapt off her bed and began gathering her measly possessions, collected, as ever, in her ragged red rucksack. In truth, there wasn't much to take, so as she finished, Ruby spoke up.

_Weiss, this isn't a good idea. What if you get sick?_

She hadn't put much thought into how she felt, actually. Looking at the mirror in her room, she realized that Ruby was accurate in her assessment. Her light blue sweater was ripped and torn in places, and a few patches of deep crimson indicated where shards of glass had punctured her skin. The rest of her clothing looked similarly dishevelled, with her smart pants now worthless and her warm winter shoes having seen better days. Ugly dark rings hung under her eyes from lack of sleep, and her usually pristine hair was dull and lifeless. In all, she looked like a mess.

But it was not the time to admit weakness.

Now that she took a moment to examine herself, she felt just as bad, too. Her eyes hurt from so much crying, her throat was sore from yelling, and her ears were still ringing from the crashing sounds earlier. She felt a headache coming on and her rumbling stomach would pose a problem once they were on their own.

But that didn't change anything. She still had to leave to keep both Ruby and herself safe. If she waited here any longer, they might put the facility in some kind of lockdown, making it harder to escape if things got worse in a hurry.

Weiss sighed and made up her mind.

"No, we still need to go, Ruby. We can take a break when we get out of here."

With that, she slung her rucksack over her shoulder, left her room and began her escape.

* * *

><p>Even though she'd never really considered it properly until now, Weiss had planned an escape from the VPAC ever since she'd first arrived there. It was a useful habit to have if you knew things could go wrong in a hurry, and with Ruby around that was always a distinct possibility, so it was just routine by now. Fortunately, Ruby was probably the perfect partner to escape with, and she scouted ahead for Weiss; looking through walls, stealing key cards and disabling any alarm system they came across, making traversing the facility literally child's play.<p>

Despite all the turmoil of the past 24 hours and all the time spent cooped up in the VPAC, their teamwork was still impeccable and their timing immaculate. Normally, it would have been simply impossible for little girl like Weiss to attempt to escape a secure research facility like the VPAC, but with Ruby able to pass unseen through any obstacle, they reached the exit within only a few minutes.

That led them to their current situation, with Weiss trying to look nonchalant leaning against the peeling cream wall and Ruby following the latest patrol and waiting for them to round the corner to give Weiss the brief opening she needed.

"Ruby, I'm really not sure about this," she murmured as loudly as she dared, "I think people know we're not supposed to be here."

_Relax Weiss, we'll be fine. Now on my mark. One... Two… Three!_

Taking a deep breath and hoping Ruby had got her timing right, Weiss dashed from her resting place towards the rapidly closing door; the guard monitoring the entrance seemingly engrossed in a book and failing to notice the young girl escaping from right under his nose.

As soon as she had passed through the portal into the cold air of late evening, Weiss made a beeline for the thick copse of trees that covered the mountain; their thick coniferous trunks reaching to the sky and seeming impossibly tall to the young girl. She knew that there was only one road out of the facility, and as long as she stayed away from it she should be able to avoid detection and any stray patrols.

_We did it Weiss! We're free!_

Allowing a small smile to form on her face, the white-haired girl leaned against a tree and took a moment to catch her breath. Ruby was right: they were free once again, and hopefully things would be better than before. Hopefully this time they could stay safe for longer, and maybe find somewhere to stay for a while. She could but hope.

_I don't think it'd be a good idea to stay by the roads. They'll be looking for us, right?_

"Yeah. Let's head deeper in. Just keep an eye on the setting sun and we can find our way to safety. C'mon Ruby."

And with that the two of them headed into the dense forest, the imposing shadows quickly smothering what little light remained of the day, but they pressed on regardless. Once again it was just the two of them against the world. And Weiss wouldn't have it any other way.

In retrospect, Weiss should have realised that urban survival did not translate into wilderness survival. When she and Ruby were on their own, it was almost always in the city, surrounded by people who simply didn't notice her. Stealing food and finding shelter was generally as simple as finding a spot where no one was paying attention and taking advantage of it. It was easy when Ruby was helping her.

However, none of those skills helped in any way when there wasn't a soul around for miles, and Weiss quickly began to have second thoughts about her decision to escape. As the minutes turned to hours, the sun finally set, revealing a clear night sky and the drop in temperature that came with it, and her stomach began rumbling. Weiss hadn't packed any food to take with her, not expecting to be in these woods for so long, and now she was beginning to seriously regret that decision. Why couldn't they find the way back to civilisation?

Ruby volunteered herself for scouting, coming back every few minutes to tell Weiss which direction to go and if there was anything of note. There generally wasn't.

In these minutes of solitude between Ruby's return, Weiss found herself rethinking her decision to leave the VPAC. It was getting more and more unlikely that they'd be able to get out of these woods any time soon, and though she didn't want to admit it, she was getting scared. She even considered turning back and going to the VPAC and begging for forgiveness, but they'd been walking for so long and with the sun disappeared behind the cloud cover, she couldn't even say for certain which direction to go.

It was while she was lost in her thoughts like this that she heard a sound like a young animal crying from somewhere nearby. Weiss let her curiosity get the better of her and went to investigate, tiptoeing into a small clearing amongst the trees, where she saw a small bundle of fur lying unmoving near a tree, the source of the sound. It sounded like it was in pain.

Weiss wasn't entirely sure what made her step toward the animal, maybe because it was in pain and it made her sad, but she did so, and the animal immediately raised its head and looked in her direction, locking a pair of beady black eyes into her own. Seeing that there was a strange being walking towards it, the small animal opened its mouth and began to cry again, even louder than before.

It was then, as the animal raised its head and yelled pitifully, that Weiss recognised what she was looking at.

A bear cub.

As the small animal's howl ended and Weiss stood frozen, there was a moment of keen silence that somehow seemed louder and more ominous than any shout. Weiss dared to take a step backward, but as she did, she heard the most terrifying sound in her entire life. A great and mighty roar echoed through the trees, not far from where she now stood.

The sound of a mother bear coming to rescue her cub.

* * *

><p><strong>Meanwhile, VPAC<strong>

"Weiss?" Yang ventured, knocking gently on the door and easing it open. The room was unusually dark, and Yang had learnt by now that Weiss preferred to leave the light on, but she simply assumed that the young girl was sleeping.

"Weiss? I'm really sorry about what happened earlier, and Blake's gone to get us a take-away if you want to have something to eat."

Still nothing, and by now Yang was getting a little worried. Surely Weiss would have said something, even if it was just telling her to get out, and the silence was beginning to trouble her. Her fears were proven horrifyingly correct when she rounded the corner of the bed to find nothing. No Weiss, no moving objects, so no Ruby, nothing.

Muttering a quick curse to herself Yang sped out of the room. She had to act now if she had any chance of keeping Weiss safe, and she'd need all the help she could get.

"Blake!"

* * *

><p>Before Weiss could process what was happening, she saw the intimidating form of a great grizzly bear tear through the far end of the clearing, charging straight towards her, roaring a challenge to the intruder threatening her cub.<p>

On pure instinct, Weiss turned and ran, screaming in terror. Her young legs were not enough to outrun a charging grizzly, and she could hear the mother bear getting closer by the second, it's panting getting nearer and nearer. When she could almost feel its monstrous breath on the back of her neck, she felt an impact like a sledgehammer hit her in the side, sending her flying like a ragdoll, crashing into the trunk of a tree.

As her mind caught up to what had just happened, her body was already up and sprinting at full tilt, once again on nothing but pure instinct away from the certain death that even now roared in chase.

Her breath froze instantly in the frigid mountain air, but Weiss kept running, panting all the way and clutching her side where the paw had impacted hard and left a strange and painful bump on her ribcage. It was getting harder and harder to breathe and she worried that she may have broken something in that altercation. How could she have been so stupid? Getting in the way of a bear was never advisable, and getting between a mother and her cub was downright idiotic.

Wincing and gasping in pain as she fled, Weiss dared a look behind her to see if she was safe, only to redouble her efforts at seeing a several ton hulk of muscle and claws hurtling towards her through the thick forest.

_Weiss!_

Said girl barely had time to blink before a crimson mist dived from the midnight sky like a bird of prey on its deadly descent. Ruby raced past her, defending Weiss from the ravenous bear at all costs. Weiss had never seen her entity so frenzied and it terrified her: what was to say that Ruby wouldn't turn on her like this?

_Stay. Away. From. My. WEISS!_

Each word was punctuated by a vicious punch to the bear's thick hide, and it lashed out at Ruby, only to be surprised when it's paw passed straight through her and into thin air.

_I said leave her ALONE!_

Once again, Ruby threw herself at the bear in a desperate attempt to save Weiss. In her anger, she split a tree in twain with a wild miss-hit, the ancient timber crashing to the ground with an ominous creak and a thunderous impact.

"R-ruby!" Weiss called out between pants and gasps, her vision fading from the pain and her shaky legs giving way. The frozen ground provided little comfort to her bare arms and small scratches ran their entire length; the sharp stones embedded in the forest floor digging in and drawing yet more blood from the young girl.

Weiss was vaguely aware of the bear stalking closer, more cautiously this time, and her attempt at crawling backwards failed as she put pressure on her side, a scream of agony being wrenched forth from her raw throat.

The white-haired girl screeched aloud, throwing her arms to her side only to see her hands taking on a lightish red tint. "Ruby!"

Instead of replying, the spirit flung herself at the angry beast before her in one last desperate attempt to save Weiss. Each enraged punch shook the ground and the mighty frame of the bear suddenly seemed weak and frail; it's knees buckling just as Weiss' had mere seconds earlier. An anguished cry rang out through the night at the punishment, and the bear swung at Ruby once more, achieving the same result as before.

Through her connection to Ruby, Weiss was able to share some of the emotions of her entity, and right now an overwhelming and murderous fury burned deep within Ruby. Even only getting a small taste, Weiss was terrified of the burning hatred that threatened to burst forth, and the young girl was genuinely scared for her life. The bear was just a mindless animal, but such pure and undiluted rage was truly horrifying.

Ruby's strikes seemed to be doing something, with the bear slowly backing off, it's gaze still fixated on the injured girl lying on the floor, and Weiss could practically feel the hot breath and smell the damp, matted fur, but every time it tried to maneuver around to get to her Ruby would stand between them, protecting her from harm.

_Weiss, run! I can hold it off!_

"No Ruby! I won't leave you!"

_Weiss, it can't hurt me, you need to get out of here!_

She opened her mouth to argue, only to shut it when she realised Ruby had a valid point, and she scampered to her feet, dashing directly away from the hulking mass of muscle and teeth that was eyeing her hungrily from only a few metres away.

Her escape only lasted a grand total of three steps, for a hidden tree root ensnared her foot as she tried to run and brought her down, her ankle twisting painfully as it moved at an odd angle. Worse still, the mother bear began to give chase at the sight of her prey running away, and within moments she had closed in on Weiss, the young girl's pained screams drowned out by a deep, guttural roar.

_NO!_

Ruby's agonised shriek reverberated around Weiss' head, the sound chilling her to the core, and causing her skin to crawl. She'd never heard anything so terrifying as Ruby right now, and for the first time ever she no longer felt safe in her presence.

Ruby changed form to that of a young girl, the same one who had tormented Weiss' dreams the previous night, and she dealt the bear such a powerful blow it was knocked clean off its feet, landing meters away from the two of them. Not relenting, Ruby struck a nearby tree; the ancient and brittle bark igniting at her touch and forming an impenetrable, flaming barrier between the bear and the stricken Weiss.

_We have to get out of here!_

"Get away from me!" She screamed, covering her face to protect it but leaving enough of a gap to watch the bear hobble away. Ruby had wounded it enough to force it to retreat, but with the way it was walking it was evident that the injuries were severe. It would likely survive, but life would be tricky for not only the mother but the cub as well; a thought that sent waves of guilt washing over Weiss.

_Huh? Weiss, what's wrong?_

"You're what's wrong! Why can't you just leave me alone?!"

And with that, the red haze disappeared.

Without waiting for a response from Ruby, she pushed herself to her feet, gasping in pain as she put pressure on her ankle, and hobbled away from the now-smoldering tree trunk. Tears began to well in her eyes out of sheer terror, and her vision began to fail yet again, but she pushed on regardless; desperate to escape what she'd just seen at all costs.

* * *

><p><strong>January 24th, 11:50PM, close to the VPAC<strong>

The moon reached the apex of its journey across the stars and its rays shone down on the forest below, almost lighting up the path Weiss took through the trees. The woods were silent save for her hurried footsteps, and she longed for the sight of civilisation and the safety it would mean. She wasn't sure how long it'd been since her run-in with the bear, but she kept running nonetheless, hoping for any sign of home.

_Home_. When she thought of that, she could only recall images of the VPAC, of Yang's bright cheerfulness and Blake's quiet thoughtfulness. She remembered the smiling faces of the other scientists and of the other patients. Even the guards were friendly to her; she talked with Ben and Tim often enough to call them friends.

Stopping to catch her breath by one of the trees, Weiss only felt a crushing loneliness. How could she have abandoned everyone who cared about her just like that? It was a cosmic irony that she only felt like this now, long after she had any hope of finding her way back. She was completely lost - every tree looked exactly the same, and she felt like she was walking in circles.

Was she destined to die here, alone?

Just as more tears threatened to burst from her eyes, she heard a distinct sound coming from just beyond her line of sight.

Feeling hope buoying in her heart, she felt a surge of energy flow through her and despite her injuries she picked up to a sprint again, heading desperately towards the noise.

She could feel the cold wind blowing against her face, reminding her that she was still here, still alive, and that there was always something she could do to bring hope.

Weiss cleared the endless line of trees to find herself suddenly standing on the road leading to the VPAC off in the distance. There were a number of police and firemen gathered around, but she didn't look twice at them, instead focusing on the form of the tall blonde woman currently calling her name.

"Weiss! Thank goodness!"

Yang almost bowled the smaller girl over with the force of her embrace, pulling Weiss into a deep hug. All of a sudden, Weiss realised just what she had missed the most while at the VPAC.

It was this feeling - the feeling of belonging and being loved.

Weiss looked up to see Yang crying in relief with Blake standing just behind her. She didn't know why, since she wasn't in any danger any more, but Weiss could feel the tears starting to fall once again. She was safe, and in the arms of the people she loved. As she made this realisation, Blake knelt down beside her and took her hand,

"Weiss, I don't know what exactly made you run away like that, but both Yang and I were worried sick." At that, the blonde woman nodded her head, giving Blake a meaningful look. The brunette closed her eyes and spoke again, her , "I want you to know that no matter what happens, you'll always have people who love you here, with Yang and I. So we've made a decision. Would you like it if we became a family together? We can get adoption papers to make it official, and you'll never have to be alone again. What do you think?"

Weiss was stunned. She hadn't expected anything like this from the two of them and she was both shocked and happy at the same time. She wanted to instantly respond with a 'yes' but there was one slight problem…

"I-I don't know if Ruby…"

Almost as if summoned, Weiss felt the tug of Ruby's presence. She turned to find her entity right behind her, looking embarrassed. Weiss' attention was drawn to the object in her hands, a silver necklace with a simple rose medallion.

Weiss brought her hands to her neck in confusion only to grasp at air. At some point in the struggle with the bear, she had lost one of her few possessions.

Ruby stepped forward slowly with a small smile on her face, gently placing the necklace around Weiss' fragile neck, her hands warming the cold skin and comforting Weiss in a way she had never experienced before. No words were spoken, for none were needed; the bond between Weiss and Ruby had long exceeded mere words.

Feeling the tears falling down her face yet again, Weiss turned to Blake and Yang, and with a happy smile on her face, nodded vigorously.

Despite everything that has happened, Weiss knew that she would always have a place to call home and people to call family. They would always be together.

As a single tear dropped to the ground and transformed into a petal of a vibrant red rose to blow away under their feet, Ruby realized that she wouldn't have it any other way.

* * *

><p><strong>See you all next chapter! Happy holidays!<strong>

**-TheBrokenBottle out.**


	5. Trouble in Town

**Wow, it's been a while, hasn't it?**

**Welcome to the next chapter of IS, the part where we begin to see just what's going on, and peer into the murky depths of the world.**

**Sorry it took so long to get this chapter out, I've just been super-busy with school and a few other things, but hopefully the chapter's quality can make up for it's lack of punctuality, right? Anyway, an important note about this is that it was meant to be set on Weiss' birthday (14th February due to that being the release date of her trailer) which is obviously Valentine's day, but strangely enough there's no real mention of Valentine's day in there at all. And there's a very good reason for that.**

**I forgot.**

**This chapter, and Weiss' birthday with it, takes place on the previous day. So if it seems a little contrived, I apologise but hey: it would have been a LOT longer before it was published otherwise.**

**Read, review, follow, favourite and enjoy!**

* * *

><p><strong>February 12th, VPAC<strong>

It wasn't often that Weiss stayed up late, but the night of 12th February was an exception, as Yang and Blake had brought in a projector and a selection of films to watch. Because of her time on the streets Weiss could barely remember watching films at all and even then it had been a long time ago with her parents, dragging horrific memories to the surface once more, so her mood was cautiously optimistic at best. Things like films had always seemed superfluous when she had Ruby, because nothing could compare to time spent with her entity.

Through calling a few favours, Blake had managed to procure them one of the offices for the night, and they'd snuggled down on a worn sofa with a thick blanket for warmth and a huge selection of junk food to eat and taken it in turns to select films to be projected on the far wall.

Because it was Yang's projector she had first pick of the films, and in typical Yang style it had been an action one, featuring a protagonist who spent most of the two hour run-time beating people to a bloody pulp. It quickly became apparent that both Weiss and Blake weren't particularly keen on it, but they let Yang and Ruby have their fun; the entity seemingly even more captivated than Yang. As the hours ticked by and the morning approached, Weiss found herself getting more tired, and she struggled to stay awake through the second film; a comedy picked by Blake.

"Is she asleep?" Blake whispered softly, simultaneously turning the volume down on the film.

"I think so. Want me to carry her to bed?"

"Probably best." Blake said with a smile, leaning over and kissing Weiss on the forehead and Yang on the lips, before stretching her tired and aching limbs and setting about cleaning up the broken crisps and assorted mess that carpeted the floor.

"Ruby, if you're still awake then can you help Blake for a bit? I'll just be putting Weiss to bed now." Yang murmured, not awaiting a reply. She couldn't hear anything Ruby said anyway.

"Yang, when you get back we need to discuss a few things. Once I've finished here I'll make my way back to our room, so look for me there." Blake spoke out as she watched Weiss' frail body be gently supported by Yang's strong arms and carried away.

The office Blake had managed to acquire was situated relatively close to their normal office, and was only free because the two scientists it had been built for, Doctors Lie Ren and Nora Valkyrie, were currently working in a different facility. Because of this, it was still quite a sizable walk from where they'd spent the past few hours to Weiss' dorm, and the trek back to the room Yang shared with Blake would be just as long.

It had always been something Yang joked about when asked: that the patients here had better living quarters than those who tended to them, but as she walked down the silent corridor, Weiss held protectively to her chest, she couldn't have been happier with the arrangement. Sure, it did mean that any time she wanted to get frisky with Blake they had to keep noise to a minimum to avoid waking those in neighbouring rooms, but more importantly it allowed her this time right now with the little angel she was carrying.

"Sweet dreams," Yang whispered, kissing the now fast-asleep Weiss on the forehead and laying her in bed; the mattress already pre-heated by a hot water bottle, "tomorrow's your big day."

"Hey." A tired Yang called as she opened the door to the room she shared with Blake, the faunus having finished tidying up their mess whilst she was busy with Weiss.

"Hi Yang. Is she asleep?" Blake replied, in the process of undressing.

"Out like a light."

"Good. We're so lucky to have her."

"I know," Yang smiled, "and hopefully it can stay this way for a long time to come."

A weak sigh escaped Blake's mouth and she paused her disrobing for a second, "Will it though? You know this is forbidden; how long before someone finds out?"

"They won't," Yang replied sternly, "I'll make sure of it."

"But how can you be certain? They could be on to us this very minute!"

"Blake! You need to calm down. Things are going to be okay, I promise."

For a second it looked like her colleague was about to argue back, but eventually she took a deep breath before relenting and slowly moving towards Yang. "Thanks Yang," she whispered, "you always know how to reassure me."

Yang smiled and pulled Blake in close. "I know. That's why we're such a great couple."

So saying she planted a chaste kiss on Blake's lips before taking her hand and leading her to the bed, the couple lying down together.

"Tomorrow we'll see her at her happiest." Blake mumbled, the soft embrace of sleep finally enveloping her. Yang merely hummed in response, still fully clothed, her mind too drifting into the world of dreams. They had a big day ahead of them, and they'd need as much rest as they could get.

* * *

><p><strong>February 13th, VPAC<strong>

"Happy birthday!"

"Wake up!"

Weiss' morning started off loudly, as two fully-grown women burst into her room carrying an assortment of different-shaped boxes, each wrapped in an eclectic mix of colours.

"Wha-?" She questioned weakly, still half asleep.

"Don't you remember? It's your birthday, Weiss, and we've bought you a few surprises. Do you want to open them?"

_Hmm? Weiss, what's happening?_

"Nothing Ruby, go back to sleep."

_That sounds brilliant_

"My birthday?" Weiss inquired as Ruby's peaceful and gentle snoring began to echo around her head.

"That's right!" Yang replied excitedly, "You were born 9 years ago today, which makes today your ninth birthday! Blake and I thought we'd get you a few things to celebrate. Here: this one's from me."

Still rubbing sleep from her eyes, Weiss cautiously accepted the proffered present and began removing the multi-coloured wrapping paper that clung to the gift.

"Wait, how did you know it's my birthday?" She queried, still unwrapping the present.

"Parental instinct." Blake beamed a smile that was so perfect it almost looked fake.

"Wait, I thought we checked the rec-Oww!" Yang began, only to yelp in pain as Blake stomped firmly on her toes, that smile unwavering throughout. Fortunately for both of them, Weiss seemed content to accept Blake's answer, and she busied herself with revealing the mountain of things the two scientists had brought.

The plethora of different wrapping paper disguised a great range of presents, from some practical things, like comfortable summer clothing to replace the tattered rags Weiss had arrived in, to more personal gifts, like a framed photo of the three of them, taken only recently: the day she'd decided to run off.

In it, an exhausted and tired-looking Weiss was stood between an equally shattered Yang and Blake, all three of them covered in mud and bits of twigs from their misadventures in the forest that night. But despite the torn clothes and the trauma of that day, all three of them seemed happier than they'd ever been before. For the first time, they no longer looked like a child and two adults. They looked like a family.

As Weiss made her way through the boxes and packages she couldn't help but be overwhelmed by it all. What little she could remember of her birthdays with her parents had been much more low-key and muted, and she woul rarely get anything other than gifts she was supposed to grow into from distant relatives, like ornate silken dresses that she never got the chance to wear. And now all of that was lost with her parents, so the way she was being treated right now was completely foreign.

On occasion, Yang or Blake would try and subtly point out a present that they believed she should open next, but for the most part they kept silent; intent just watching the child-like glee on Weiss' young face. It was easy enough for her to see who had wrapped each present, for even though they had no label, Blake had carefully measured out just how much paper she needed for each gift before wrapping it, whereas Yang had gone with more of a gung-ho attitude, resulting in odd flaps and bulges of excess paper being hastily taped to the side.

"Whew! Well we hoped you liked all of that!" Blake chuckled as the last of the presents was revealed, "Now why don't you go with Yang to our office and let her paint your nails whilst I tidy up in here, hmm?"

Weiss nodded enthusiastically and launched herself at Blake, almost toppling the faunus with the force of the hug. "Thank you so much!"

"Weiss, try not to break her. She's only weak after all."

Blake scowled at Yang's jibe, but elected to say nothing. Instead, she returned the hug (though she was far gentler than Weiss had been) and sent Weiss on her way, the young girl running down the corridor, her footsteps echoing all around.

"Go on. I'll tidy up here and then I'll get the final present ready." Blake said with a sigh as she watched her go. Yang joined her, and together they watched Weiss scamper off round the corner, unaware that Yang wasn't following yet.

"Love you." Yang simply but honestly replied, her gaze still following Weiss, before she gave Blake a quick kiss and followed the energetic girl to her office. She knew Weiss was having a great time today, and she could only hope things would get even better when she saw what was in store.

* * *

><p>"So Weiss, how do you want your nails doing?"<p>

Weiss was sat on the desk swinging her legs casually as Yang opened the beauty gift-set that Weiss had received mere minutes before.

"I don't really know," she replied bashfully, "I've never had them done before."

"Never?!" Yang gasped in fake shock and held her hand to her heart, causing the young girl to giggle.

"No." She admitted.

"Well don't you worry: I'm a master at this." Yang proclaimed theatrically.

"Yang?"

"Yes dear?"

"Will I look pretty?"

"Weiss, you already look pretty. This'll just make you look even more pretty. Now if you're not sure then maybe Ruby has some suggestions?"

The young girl laughed at Yang's comments, though the merest hint of a red dusting coloured her cheeks, and she stated matter-of-factly; "Ruby's still asleep, silly."

"Really?" This puzzled Yang, as Ruby often woke up before Weiss, and for her to sleep this late was practically unheard of.

"Yep! She woke up but went back to sleep because I told her to."

"Erm, ok?" Yang replied somewhat awkwardly, "Do you often tell her to do things like that?"

"Oh yeah, Ruby does whatever I tell her to. It's almost like she has to. The other day I made her clean my room because I didn't want to." Weiss sang, clearly very happy with that revelation.

Instantly Yang froze, the packaging falling to the floor, forgotten. A chill seemed to pervade the room and her heartbeat picked up, adrenaline coursing through her veins. As Weiss' entity, Ruby was bound to the white-haired girl, but every entity that had been discovered until now had been almost entirely free to act on their own. For Weiss to be as influential as this was unheard of, and opened up new, and terrifying, possibilities.

"Yang?"

Weiss' voice snapped the scientist out of her reverie, and she turned with a hurried smile to the young girl.

"Sorry about that, just thinking about something." She tried weakly, but fortunately Weiss seemed to buy it.

"I can wake her up if you want."

"Please!" Yang said hurriedly, eager to speak to Ruby in light of the recent revelations.

"Ruby? Yang wants to speak to you."

_Hmm? Didn't we do this earlier?_

"Yes, but now she wants you to choose what colour to paint my nails."

Internally, Yang breathed a huge sigh of relief. She hadn't been sure how to breach the topic, but Weiss had given her a perfect starting point for the conversation. She just needed a way to talk to Ruby without Weiss knowing, but that could happen at a later date. Right now, Weiss was the number one priority.

_Wait, you've got nail varnish? That's so cool! When did you get it?_

"Today. Yang and Blake got me it for my birthday."

_Awesome! Does that mean they got me something?_

"I'm not sure. Yang, have you got Ruby anything?"

"Erm, Blake and I weren't exactly sure what to get her I'm afraid. Is there anything she particularly wants?"

Weiss pondered a bit, giving Yang enough time to retrieve the nail varnish from the floor at finally open the packaging.

"Did you decide on what colour you wanted?"

_Have them light blue! I think it'd look great!_

"Yeah, I think I will. Light blue please, Yang."

The two of them chatted whilst Yang worked, with Ruby occasionally chipping in and adding something. For Yang, painting nails was almost therapeutic, and Weiss was eager to learn more about it, having never had hers done before, so an easy conversation settled in the room, with Yang teaching Weiss all her supposed trademarked beauty secrets.

"Now remember: don't touch anything whilst you let them dry, and at the end of the day you have to come to me to get them cleaned. Ok?" Yang lectured kindly, causing Weiss to pout and cross her arms over her chest.

"Ya-ang!" She complained, "I'm not a child!"

"Oh yes you are, and Blake would kill me if you got any of that stuff on something valuable. Please Weiss, I know it's your birthday but you still have to follow the rules."

_Hey, don't speak to Weiss that way!_

"Ruby relax, it's fine. Can I have some on tomorrow though? I really like it…" Weiss trailed off, and the sorrow and regret that hung deep in her voice caused Yang to instantly pull the young girl into a warm, loving hug.

"Of course you can! Weiss, this is YOUR present. You can do with it what you will. I'm sorry if I upset you."

"It's fine!" Weiss chirped, her cheery self once again, "But next time I think I'll try white."

* * *

><p>"Weiss, don't run off!" Blake called futilely as Weiss scampered off after Ruby, the two thundering down the pavement that led to the park.<p>

"Relax Blake, she'll be fine."

"I know, but that doesn't stop me from worrying."

Yang chuckled at this and took Blake's hand in her own. Ever since Weiss had agreed to the adoption, Blake had acted like she was in bubble-wrap: constantly trying to keep her safe from the smallest thing. At first it had been endearing but the novelty swiftly wore off for both Yang and Weiss.

"She's fine. Did you remember the present?"

"Not today. I know Ren and Nora wanted to see her reaction and they even said they might bring Jaune."

"Really? It's been a long time since I saw him, I wonder how he's doing."

"Quite good actually. Ren tells me the progress in Atlas is phenomenal."

"Oh." Yang mumbled awkwardly and returned her gaze to Weiss' nimble form as it hurtled down the pavement towards the entrance to the park and eventually out of sight.

Today was one of those late winter ones where the cold clawed at your skin and a weak sunshine tried desperately to warm the frozen earth. A fierce wind whipped around them, leaves dancing through their legs and striking their face, and both scientists tried in vain to shield themselves from the onslaught. Weiss seemed unaffected by the vicious weather and she began to laugh in elation, the scarf Blake had insisted she wear catching in the wind and flailing around madly.

"Come on, we don't want to be late!" She called after her, despite having passed from view a while ago and there being nothing for them to be 'late' to. Indeed, they were just taking her out to the park and to look at a few shops, but to Weiss that was so special. Not only had she been confined to the VPAC for most of the past few months, before that the streets had only brought hunger and misery, and to be able to walk freely without fear of that with the ones she loved was a joy she had never really experienced.

_Weiss, wanna race?_

"Sure!" And the two of them took off at breakneck speeds; Ruby holding back to avoid embarrassing the young girl.

"First to that tree!" Weiss panted and swerved towards a gnarled oak that marked the boundary between the pavement and the park.

_Hey, no fair!_

Weiss simply laughed and continued running, only to trip on something and be sent sprawling across the pavement.

"Ugh…" She groaned, rubbing her head and inspecting her grazed and sore hands.

"What's the matter, not watching where you're going?" A cruel and taunting voice called, and Weiss turned to see a group of boys gathered, ranging from about her age to late teens, stood around her in a circle.

"Well? Speak up!" One of them challenged and instantly Weiss scrambled to her feet in an attempt to get away from them.

"Oh no, you aren't getting away that easily." Another one of them called and shoved her back down to the floor.

"Ruby!" She cried in desperation, shielding herself in case they tried to do anything to her.

"There's no-one coming," the first voice boasted, "you're all alone."

"Ruby, do something!"

"Ha, she really thinks there's someone there! Listen here you little freak: this is OUR park. You don't deserve to come here."

Tears began to form in Weiss' eyes and she whimpered pathetically in a vain attempt to avoid crying. A heavy hand reached down and grabbed her shoulder, the fingers digging in painfully, and yanked her to her feet. She could see the group had completely encircled her by now, and the malicious grins on some of their faces sent cold shivers racing through her petrified body.

"I think we ought to show you just wha-"

The boy who had been speaking didn't get chance to finish what he was saying; instead being launched into his friends and sent flying through the air.

_No one touches Weiss! No one!_

"What the-" Another one of them began, only to suffer a similar fate as his friend mere seconds earlier. By now the group had backed away from Weiss, fear evident on their faces at some invisible assailant harassing them.

"She really is a freak! Run!" The first one shouted again and as one they scattered, heading in all directions to get away from Weiss and whatever powers she had.

_I'm not finished with you!_

"Let it go Ruby," Weiss sniffed and struggled to her feet, "they're not worth it."

_They hurt you. I can't let them get away with that._

"I'm fine now, trust me." Weiss' tone was filled with sadness, and Ruby briefly assumed the form of a young girl about Weiss' age, maybe a little older, and helped steady the white-haired girl.

_I'm so sorry I wasn't here Weiss, if I had been then-_

"Ruby, I understand. It's not your fault." She managed through the pain.

"There you are! I was beginning to get wor- oh my goodness, what happened?!" Blake's voice could be heard from further up the path, quickly followed by the sound of running: both scientists making their way towards the injured girl.

"Who did this to you?" Yang's voice was low and menacing, and Weiss could have sworn she saw flames dancing through her blonde curls.

"No-one," she sniveled, "I tripped."

_Tripped?! Weiss, we need to find them and make them pay!_

"Shut up Ruby!" She whispered as loudly as she dared. Yang making a scene would only make things worse, and if she could at least get home before she let them know a lot of hassle could be avoided. Unfortunately, no such luck was coming her way, as that same cruel voice from earlier sounded from across the street:

"It's her! It's the freak!"

A few of the lads from earlier had regrouped, only this time a few older men had joined them, all of them scowling menacingly.

"Oi, you!" One of them called, stepping towards Yang and Blake and allowing them a look at just what sort of person they were dealing with. His grubby and stained t-shirt clung to his overweight torso, and the weak sun reflected off his bald head, complete with tattoos covering his bulging neck and bare forearms, each of which sagged with fat. All in all he wasn't exactly the finest member of the human race. "That your daughter?"

"There's no need to ge-"

"What's it to you?!" Yang called back aggressively, interrupting Blake's attempt at reasoning.

"What's it to me? That bitch just messed up my kid! Jumped him she did!"

"So your son got beaten up by a girl?" Yang taunted and stepped between Weiss and the gathered crowd. People from across the street had stopped their daily routines to spectate what they hoped would end in a fight, and Yang was certainly not one to back down from something like that.

"Not a girl. A freak. She should be locked up, she should!"

Blade audibly sighed and turned away from the showdown, taking Weiss' hand and walking in the other direction.

"Please remember your Hippocratic Oath." She called behind her as Yang began to lay into the man, beating him to the ground and then some, to the shock of the onlookers.

* * *

><p>Having never really been to the nicer parts of Vale, Weiss hadn't experienced some of the elegant beauty that came with wealth. Here, everyone walked around exuding an air of confidence that was matched by their wallets, and the streets were kept clean and the air was free from the soot and the dirt that she was used to. Trees lined the pavements instead of rubbish bins, and the threatening mood that seemed to hang over the poorer parts of town had been replaced by a relaxed and peaceful atmosphere, the serene environment reflective of the welcoming people who lived there.<p>

At the moment though she didn't feel like joining in, instead focusing on halfheartedly stirring the tea Blake had bought her. After leaving Yang to deal with the thugs from earlier, Blake had hurried her away from the scene and into a nice quaint cafe, decorated with all sorts of memorabilia. A kindly old woman had come to take their orders, and after Blake sent Yang a message telling her where to meet them, the two of them sat down in silence whilst they waited for her to arrive.

"Are you hurt?" Blake asked awkwardly, uncomfortable speaking out after holding her tongue for so long.

"No." Weiss replied equally as awkwardly and silence settled again.

_Weiss, you need to tell her what happened._

No response.

_Weiss, I'm serious! You gain nothing by keeping this to yourself!_

"Stop telling me what to do!"

The entire cafe went silent, all eyes fixed on Weiss, each one judging her. Blake simply stared in shock; unaware of the conversation the entity and the young girl had been having, and Ruby herself retreated from the harsh words.

"Weiss dear, is anything the matter?"

"No!"

"Did they hurt you?" Blake's sympathetic voice reached Weiss' ears and instantly all the hate that had been brewing up was washed away to leave pain and sorrow.

"They called me a freak." Weiss' words were barely a whisper, but they seemed to resonate around the room, and everyone but Blake and Ruby looked away in shame. Bitter tears stung her eyes and shudders wracked her petite form, and without hesitating Blake pulled her into a comforting embrace.

"Weiss, you aren't a freak," she spoke softly as she hugged the young girl, "you don't need to listen to people like that. They aren't worth it."

"But what about Ruby? They said she was a freak too."

_I don't mind. They can say whatever they want about me, as long as you're safe._

"They're just jealous because they don't have what you have: a loving family. Very few people have entities, and the few who do tend to be brilliant people. Yang and I love you, and so does Ruby I'm sure. Please don't let idiots like that put you down."

Between sniffles, Weiss let Blake's words sink in, the doctor holding her close all the time. Blake was right; she was better than those thugs, she didn't need to listen to their hateful words. She had Ruby and Yang and Blake, and that was all that mattered.

_Weiss, you mean everything to me. You know I'd do anything for you._

"Thanks Ruby." She sniffed, a small smile finding it's way to her face as she gently pulled back from the hug and leaned against the table, supporting herself with her hands. The intensity of a few moments ago seemed to have dissipated and the relaxing atmosphere that had first greeted them when they walked into the cafe was a welcome return.

"Hey guys!" A loud voice called from the doorway, and Weiss knew who it was without even turning round.

"Yang! What happened, are you alright?"

Yang waved away Blake's fussing and sat down at the table, a massive bruise covering one eye and a huge grin on her face.

"I'm fine, just had the fight of the century! He barely had two brain cells to knock together, but damn he hit hard!"

"You shouldn't be bragging about the fights you get in," Blake scolded, though it was obvious she was trying to hold back a grin, "it's a bad message to send to Weiss."

"Relax, it's fine."

Blake didn't look convinced but she let the matter drop for now, instead giving Yang a quick kiss and sitting down next to her. There they waited for the food to arrive, with Yang wolfing down a toasted sandwich and Weiss enjoying a chocolate chip cookie, whilst Blake merely drank her tea in reserved silence.

_Weiss, can I have a cookie?_

"Ruby you know you can't eat."

_Pleeeeeeeease?_

"I'm sorry but you physically can't." Weiss consoled, a bit of her feeling genuinely sorry for her entity.

Just as they had received their food, the door opened behind them again, and a jovial voice, that of a young girl, called out to the owner.

"Salutations!"

Instantly the colour drained out of Yang and Blake's faces, and they hurriedly turned round to see just who was at the door. Sure enough, their fears were confirmed as a young girl, maybe about as old as Weiss, strolled into the cafe, her brilliant green eyes scanning everything in wonder and her neatly trimmed orange bangs that framed her face bouncing with each step.

"Oh no." Blake whispered, her eyes wide in terror. Though Weiss couldn't see it, the faunus grabbed her partner's hand for reassurance and squeezed tightly; Yang too shocked to even notice.

"Penny, come on." A gruffer voice sounded from just outside and the hairs on the back of Weiss' neck stood up in anticipation. The voice was powerful, manipulative, overwhelming. It was a voice that wouldn't take no for an answer, a voice that told of countless enemies crushed. The young girl looked dejected but turned to leave without another word, and the door shut behind her. As one, the three occupants of the table exhaled heavily, letting out breaths they didn't know they were holding. Weiss had no idea who it was who had been speaking, but she was certain she never wanted to hear them again.

The rest of the meal was finished in silence, even Ruby seemingly shocked by the events that had just occurred, and as soon as they paid for their food, Yang hurried them out and towards the car for the long journey back to the VPAC.

* * *

><p>Weiss spent the majority of the car journey in silence, contemplating the day. It had started off so promising but ever since they'd arrived in Vale things had got worse and worse. If this was what birthdays were like, Weiss was happy never to have another one in her life.<p>

_Hey, are you ok?_

Ruby's concerned tone echoed around her head, and the entity took the form of a young girl sitting in the seat next to Weiss. A vivid red outline shimmered and sparkled around her, and she looked almost reminiscent of a ghost. A spectral hand reached out and took Weiss' own, and though the touch was strange, it wasn't unpleasant. The cold and clammy sensation that had accompanied their holding hands in the forest was gone, replaced by a warmth that filled her entire body and told only of prosperous times to come.

"Thanks Ruby." Weiss said, genuinely grateful for Ruby's presence.

Maybe birthdays weren't too bad after all.

* * *

><p><strong>TheBrokenBottle out!<strong>


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